Description

Rare Large 1860 Abraham Lincoln Silk Banner Despite the
thousands of parade banners produced for Lincoln, only a handful
have survived, and many of those are permanently ensconced in
institutions. A public offering of one is a rare and special
occurrence. This banner has fringe on three sides and blue ribbon
bows at the top. It was hand-painted and is inscribed on front,
"Old Cambridge. 1860 Lincoln Club. Freedom Our Cause. Lincoln Our
Man." The lettering is red, gold, and blue against a white
background. The reverse is inscribed, "The Union But Not With the
Sacrifice of Freedom," in gold letters against a blue background.
We assume this came out of the Boston area and saw use in
Republican parades by "Northern abolitionists" who were willing to
sacrifice the Union, if need be, in the cause of freedom for the
slaves.

In examining the piece, we discovered a characteristic common to
many 19th century campaign items: it has been recycled from a
previous election. It was originally a John Fremont banner from
1856, but Fremont's name was painted over and the name Lincoln
substituted and the date 1860 added. This "family history" just
makes the item more interesting in our estimation. There are some
minor water stains around the border area which are not obtrusive.
It has resulted in a wrinkling or puckering of the affected area.
Compared to the handful of parade banners we have examined, these
defects are miniscule. To find historically important piece such as
this completely intact with bold colors is quite extraordinary. 41"
x 48".